The hardest golf courses in Pinehurst, North Carolina
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Pinehurst, North Carolina, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 31 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Southern Pines, Sanford, West End, Aberdeen, Whispering Pines and 3 more nearby towns.
Tobacco Road Golf Club
Sanford, NC, USASlope rating 145, 72.5 course rating, Ripper tees, 6,554 yds
PublicMike Strantz
- 4.1Conditions
- 4.2Layout
- 3.5Value
- 3.9Scenery
- 3.6Facilities
An amazing course. I love Strantz, but you have to know what you are walking into and do some research if you don’t have anyone with you that has played. Some of the greens are about as crazy as possible, which allows for so many different options (a Strantz speacial).
Written by
@Bigal
- Must play
- Challenging
- Driving range
Mid South Club
Southern Pines, NC, USASlope rating 144, 73.8 course rating, Gold tees, 7,003 yds
PrivateArnold Palmer & Ed Seay
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.3Layout
- 3.8Scenery
- 4.1Facilities
Mid South is a solid add to the pantheon of Pinehurst Sandhills courses; a fun, picturesque Arnold Palmer design that is the “private” option of the Talamore courses. Excellent closing stretches on each nines mixed with some unmemorable holes & strong Par-3s. No drinking water!!
Written by
@Btweed16
- Driving range
- Underrated
- Bar
Bayonet at Puppy Creek
Raeford, NC, USASlope rating 144, 73.7 course rating, Professional tees, 7,065 yds
PublicWillard Byrd
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.5Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 2.4Facilities
- Hidden gem
- Must play
- Fast greens
#7
Pinehurst Resort & Country Club
Pinehurst, NC, USASlope rating 143, 75.5 course rating, Gold tees, 7,216 yds
PublicRees Jones & Keith Evans
- 4.1Conditions
- 3.5Layout
- 3.4Value
- 3.3Scenery
- 3.2Facilities
You don’t go to Pinehurst to play 7, it’s just an ok filler. A lot of the same elevated tee, down to the fairway, and uphill to the green. Greens very grainy…
Written by
@suz
- Driving range
- Pristine
- Putting area
North
Forest Creek Golf Club
Pinehurst, NC, USASlope rating 142, 75.1 course rating, Champions tees, 7,184 yds
PrivateTom Fazio & Beau Welling
- 4.3Conditions
- 3.6Layout
- 2.8Scenery
- 1.0Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Friendly
(Holly) Pinewild Country Club of Pinehurst
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 141, 73.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,021 yds
Hyland Golf Club
Southern Pines, NC, USA
Slope rating 141, 72.1 course rating, Champ. tees, 6,823 yds
(Cardinal) Country Club of North Carolina
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 140, 75.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,215 yds
(#6) Pinehurst Resort & Country Club
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 139, 74.7 course rating, Gold tees, 7,053 yds
(#2) Pinehurst Resort & Country Club
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 138, 76.5 course rating, U.S. Open tees, 7,588 yds
(#4) Pinehurst Resort & Country Club
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.9 course rating, Orange tees, 7,227 yds
(#8) Pinehurst Resort & Country Club
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.1 course rating, Gold tees, 7,099 yds
(South) Forest Creek Golf Club
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 138, 73.6 course rating, Champions tees, 7,016 yds
(Magnolia) Pinewild Country Club of Pinehurst
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 135, 76.4 course rating, Black tees, 7,446 yds
(Dogwood) Country Club of North Carolina
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 135, 74.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,301 yds
(#9) Pinehurst Resort & Country Club
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 135, 74.2 course rating, Gold tees, 7,118 yds
(#5) Pinehurst Resort & Country Club
Pinehurst, NC, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.1 course rating, Gold tees, 6,828 yds
Dormie Club
West End, NC, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.0 course rating, Black tees, 6,883 yds
Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club
Southern Pines, NC, USA
Slope rating 134, 73.5 course rating, Medal tees, 7,015 yds
Country Club of Whispering Pines
Whispering Pines, NC, USA
Slope rating 133, 74.0 course rating, Blue tees, 7,094 yds
Legacy Golf Links
Aberdeen, NC, USA
Slope rating 133, 73.9 course rating, Black tees, 7,004 yds
(Maples) Woodlake Resort and Country Club
Vass, NC, USA
Slope rating 132, 74.4 course rating, Professional tees, 7,043 yds
Longleaf Golf & Family Club
Southern Pines, NC, USA
Slope rating 132, 72.4 course rating, Red 7 tees, 6,709 yds
Talamore Golf Resort
Southern Pines, NC, USA
Slope rating 132, 72.4 course rating, Gold tees, 6,840 yds
(Grey Fox) Foxfire Resort & Golf
Foxfire Village, NC, USA
Slope rating 130, 72.9 course rating, Blue tees, 6,781 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Pinehurst, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Tobacco Road Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Pinehurst, North Carolina at Slope 145 (72.5 course rating · Ripper tees · 6,554 yds). 31 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Pinehurst, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Pinehurst, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:10 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
